Posts by tag: ZXR250

A small-displacement motorcycle with a four-cylinder powerplant like this Kawasaki ZXR250 really makes no practical sense: singles and parallel-twins are simple to manufacture, inexpensive to maintain, easier to package, torquey, and fun to ride. Up to a certain size, where the weight of a single piston and connecting rod create unacceptable vibrations that irritate the rider and tear the engine apart from within, they really just make sense, which helps to explain the popularity of single cylinder powerplants for smaller, or entry-level machines.

But the ZXR250, introduced in 1988, wasn't really an entry-level machine. It was intended for markets where experienced riders were limited by laws and heavy taxes on larger displacement machines. Riders that might want a more sophisticated machine, and were willing to pay additional costs in terms of purchase price, maintenance, and reduced fuel economy. What they got in return was a big bike experience, just without all that pesky horsepower...

The tiny, Swiss-watch marvel of an engine in the ZXR250 displaced just 249cc, but still had four cylinders, dual overhead-cams, and sixteen tiny valves. The bike produced a claimed 45hp, with a paltry 18 ft-lbs of torque from just 15 cubic inches, enough to push the 311lb machine to 124mph. Notably, the bike could scream along happily up to 19,000rpm, a big selling-point for fans of rev-happy engines. The rest of the spec was up to big-bike standards as well: a aluminum beam frame and a set of upside-down forks, something that was pretty uncommon for sportbikes, especially smaller machines, prior to the 1990s.

1989 Kawasaki ZXR250A Japanese Import Rare 42hp Inline 4 250cc 4 Stroke 19000rpm Red line 53000kms Runs and Drives great. Forks have been rebuilt, brakes have been serviced, carbs have been cleaned and serviced with bigger jets, spark plugs and wires have been replaced, speedometer cable is new, has clear turn signal covers, has a rare rear seat cover but still has rear seat underneath, has a smoked windscreen, adjustable brake and clutch levers, and a Vega Sports muffler, comes with a Daishin Racing full aluminum pipe very light. Left side has some scrapes on fairing but doesnt affect anything. Registered and clean titled in Florida. Motorcycle is pickup only. Sold as is.

Photos show the bike fitted with Japanese plates, which I'm assuming is in lieu of blocking the Florida plates with tape or a thumb or something. It's a bit dirty [see wheels] and there is damage to the left side of the bike as described by the seller, but looks complete and is otherwise very sharp for a nearly 30 year old machine. Obviously, a 250cc four cylinder sportbike is more a novelty than anything else, especially here in the USA where cheap speed is the order of the day. But as long as the price is right, I can completely see the appeal: being able to just pin the throttle everywhere, all the time, without tripling the national speed limit or riding with suicidal abandon is pretty cool. I'm a big fan of the "slow bike fast" thing and with a $5,000 Buy It Now price, I think this will likely find a buyer.

Little sportbikes like this very nice Kawasaki ZXR250 were never imported to the USA for a very good reason: there was basically zero demand for them. In other countries, licensing limitations, high taxes on larger-displacement bikes, and much more expensive fuel mean that riders don't necessarily graduate from a 250 to a 600 to a full-on literbike. In places where you're incentivized to "think small" a bike like this makes perfect sense, since it has the big-bike styling, real sportbike handling, and mechanical sophistication an experienced rider might want, all in a fun-size package.

The bike was introduced in 1988 with a major mechanical and styling refresh in 1991. Displacing just 249cc, that little jewel of an engine produced a claimed 45 hp and just a sliver of torque at 18 ft.lbs and could push the 311 lb dry machine all the way to 124 mph. Obviously, the ZXR250 isn't going to offer up all that much more in the way of straight-line performance compared to something like a modern Ninja 300: you can't get blood from a stone. Or in this case, horsepower from just 15 cubic inches. And modern entry-level machines provide technology this little Kawasaki couldn't dream of. But with modern 250s mostly built around torquey singles or economical parallel twins, this inline four with its positively shrieking 19,000 rpm redline may offer more noise than actual power, but it also provides plenty of rider involvement to go with that spine-tingling sound.

Modern entry-level sportbikes have powerplants chosen for their simplicity, economy, ease-of-maintenance, and torquey power delivery so new riders can focus more on riding and less on shifting gears to chase insane redlines. So obviously, a carbureted inline four-cylinder will require much more effort to maintain and more skill to ride effectively, but I expect fans of small sportbikes know exactly what they're in for with a bike like this. Today's example has had a few miles roll under the wheels, but looks from photos to be in exceptionally good condition. I prefer the earlier style fairings with twin round headlamps, but that's simply a matter of taste. You certainly can't argue with the condition of what's on display here or those very 1990s HVAC hoses leading to the airbox...

Up for your consideration is a RARE MINT CONDITION low mileage 1994 Kawasaki ZXR250 with 19,518 Kilometers (12,127 miles). It is in mint condition and has new battery, Kawasaki filter & engine oil, new coolant flush, new brake fluid, new spark plugs and original air filter was serviced. This ZXR250 isn't your typical Ninja 250 that was sold here in the states. This ZXR has an inline four cylinder engine that revs to a 19,000 redline. In my opinion, its one of the best bikes you can ride on a twisty road. Even though this ZXR250 is completely stock, it comes with an extra carbon fiber aftermarket slip on muffler included in the sale.

When we received the bike, It was taken apart and cleaned and inspected along with the full service. We noticed that the bike has been very well taken care of over the years. You can tell it was loved as a child, lol. The bike runs and rides like the day it was new. Would make a great addition to any collection. This ZXR250 comes with a clean Utah title in my company name that will be presented to the new owner.

Bidding is up just past $3,000 with several days left on the auction. Interest in these little machines seems pretty high when they come up for auction, and several CBR250RRs have been featured on this site recently. They offer good handling and great looks, but very modest power, so I think you're mainly buying these for the novelty, that insane and very accessible redline, or as a Kawi completist. There are definitely more economical ways to sportbike, but fewer more stylish.

Looking like its bigger brothers of the ZX7 family, you would be forgiven to mistake the ZXR250 for a larger displacement motorcycle. But as we all know, small bikes rule in Japan, and when it comes to small sport bikes, Japan really does rule. Built to work around restrictive licensing rules in the home market - as well as conform to standards in other Asian markets such as Malaysia - the Big Four poured significant resources into the quarter-liter category. From two strokes to four, model lines for larger displacement bikes were often ported to the lower classes, resulting in families of models from 50cc up to 1100cc, depending upon the market. This ZXR250 was the result of that effort, and is available directly from Japan.

The similarity of looks between the ZXR250 and its larger siblings is not just cosmetics - Kawasaki packed this bike with some significant go-fast tech as well. The liquid-cooled inline four banger offers 45 HP and will rev up to 19,000 RPM thanks to a brace of four Keihin carbs feeding the four valve per cylinder heads via forced air induction. Power is delivered via a 6-speed tranny, and the whole package is wrapped in an aluminum perimeter box frame. Triple disks all around provide braking duties, an upside down fork holds up the front, and a Uni-Track mono shock rear end completes the picture. All in all, your standard, screaming, hyper-sensitive small bike perfect for the hooligan in you.

From the seller:
KAWASAKI ZXR250R
VIN:ZX250A-300532
Year: 1989
Mileage: 14,835km
Condition: Running very well. Very good condition. Body work has tiny scratches and repair mark for tiny crack. Front forks has No rusts on the chrome, No oil leaks. No rust inside of the gas tank.

Shipping : We'll put it into the wooden crate and ship by surface. We'll enclose Japanese original title, and also Sales Certificate and Bill of Sales issued by us in English. Shipping cost: The bid price includes shipping cost to overseas, and it's charged from our office in Japan to the nearest port to your address. We expect you'd pick it up at the port and arrange the land transport to your address by yourself.
The other cost, such as the handling cost, duty fee, tax, etc. which will be charged in your country, they're not included there.

We have seen a few other bikes being offered by this seller. They all suffer (to some degree) of life in the salty, ocean air of crowded Japan. Scuffs and minor cosmetic issues are par for the course when daily parking areas contain hundreds - if not thousands - of bikes at any given time. Some corrosion is to be expected due to the proximity of the sea. Still, for those outside of the home market, this 250 is a rare bird and a pretty neat piece of tech. Nothing in the pictures looks too terrible to me, but then the issue of registration for the road raises its ugly head. This bike will be sold with a bill of sale and importation paperwork, but it's up to you to get it registered. That may not be a problem depending upon your locale, but realize that home market bikes do not carry 17-digit VIN numbers which are often required in the US.

This is your chance to own a rare (in the US, at least), home market bike from Japan. This 250 will beat the snot out of any of the similar era 250s that meekly putted up to our shores, and is likely still competitive against the newer crop of small bike madness that is going on. The uniqueness in the US is undeniable; there is no point in having fun if you can't look cool doing it at the same time. This bike ticks a lot of boxes on the wish list, and deserves a good home in someone's garage. Check it out here, and then let us know what you think. Are you down with a 250 sport bike, and if so which is your favorite?

If you think a NSR, TZR or RGV250 is rare, try looking up info on a ZXR250. These were another product of the race replica craze that swept Japan in the late 80's and early 90's. The 250's became exercises in engineering with each company trying to showcase it's technology. I don't know if it is correct or not but one spec sheet for the ZXR shows a red line of 18,000 rpm! Remember these are four cylinder bikes, not two's like the current Ninja 250's. The 1990 ZXR is very similar to the initial model in 1988. A major redesign came in 1991. Claimed hp is the usual 45hp for a 250cc bike due to Japanese law at the time. The bummer is the seller states this is actually an SP model. I could find almost no info on the SP. Generally SP's had close ratio gear boxes, adjustable suspension and sometimes things like larger carbs. I'd just be guessing though on the ZXR. I did find one photo of a later model SP and it had a remote reservoir visible under the tail section. I also found a video of an early model SP and it had a solo tail section. Not saying this isn't an SP just pointing out some things to look for.

Here she is. This is one bike where you could use some detailed pictures.

The seller does not mention much about the bike in the ad other than it is in excellent condition. He's left out the obvious questions of mileage, title and specs of the bike. Sounds like a phone call is need to me. Check out the little Kawi here on Craigslist. He is asking $3,800.

Here is a reference photo of the bike in classic Kawasaki colors for you from Bikepics.com. They sure do look good in those colors.

Here is the video I mentioned of an early model SP with a solo tail section: sounds pretty good too!

IK

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